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New Delhi, January 15
Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Sunday said a ‘strong defence posture’ was being maintained along theLine of Actual Control (LAC) and added, “We are ready to tackle any contingency”.
The LAC is the un-demarcated de-facto boundary with China along the Himalayan ridgeline.
He was addressing the Annual Army Day Parade that is being conducted at Bangaluru. It is the first time that the Army Day parade is being conductedoutside the national capital.
General Pande said along the northern border areas (with China) the situation has been normal through established protocols and existing mechanisms.
Speaking about the year gone past, he said the Army firmly faced security-related challenges and ensured security of borders. Steps have been taken to improve capability development, force restructuring and training. “We have also further strengthened preparations for future wars,” Gen Pande added.
On the western front, he said the ceasefire continues at the Line of Control (LoC) and ceasefire violations have been brought down. But across the border, terror infrastructure still remains. The counter-infiltration grid is continuously foiling the infiltration from the Pakistan side, the Army Chief said.
“Although there has been a decline in violence with the efforts of security forces, several proxy terrorist outfits have resorted to the technique of targetted killings to gain visibility,” said the Army Chief in reference to the recent spurt of killings in the Jammu region.
“Army, along with other security forces, is determined to foil all such attempts,” Gen Pande said.
He cited the attempts to smuggle weapons and drugs through drones in the international boundary sector in Jammu and Punjab. Counter-drone jammers and other equipment have been brought into use against such activities, the Army Chief said. The local population in J&K has rejected violence and have enthusiastically participated in all initiativesof the Government, he added.
On the north-east, he said there have been definite improvements in security situation in north-eastern regions. Indian Army has played an important role in bringing down level of violence and making insurgents leave the path of violence, he said.